Creamy Tuscan Chicken

 

Ingredients

2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts

3 TBS Lemon-Pepper Seasoning

2 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 Onion Diced

1/2 Cup Chicken Broth

2 TBS Minced Garlic

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning

3 Cups Fresh Baby Spinach

5 ounces Sun-Dried Tomatoes, cut in julienne strips

Directions

Season the chicken with lemon-pepper seasoning.

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until cooked all the way through (8-12 minutes per side, or until internal temperature of chicken is 165°F). Transfer to a plate and set aside.

To the same skillet, add the onion and cook stirring occasionally, until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the stock and garlic and cook, using a spoon to scrape up any brown bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour in the cream and add the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and Italian Seasoning. Stir until the cheese melts and the ingredients are incorporated.

Lower the heat to a medium-low and add the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, letting the spinach wilt and the sun-dried tomatoes heat through for 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken to the mixture and serve! This can be served over rice, or as is!

Smoked Salmon with Orange Hoisin Glaze

Ingredients:

1 salmon fillet, about 1 1/2 - 2 pounds
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey
1 TBSP Sriracha sauce
2 TBSP Sesame Oil
1 tsp Garlic powder
2 oranges, sliced
1 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

Make the marinade by mixing together the hoisin sauce, orange juice, honey, sriracha sauce, sesame oil and garlic powder together in a small bowl. Measure out 1/2 cup of the marinade and set aside. Place the salmon in a flat dish (a 9"x13" casserole dish works well). Pour the remaining marinade over the salmon. Flip the salmon a couple of times to ensure that all the salmon is coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Flip the salmon every hour.

Set the smoker to 250°F using apple, cherry, alder, or maple wood chips.

Place the sliced oranges on the grill. Lay the salmon on top of the orange slices, this will keep the fish from sticking to the grill. Smoke the fish for about 2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 145°F.

During the smoking time, pour the 1/2 cup of reserved marinade in a small saucepan. Let it come to a low boil and let it reduce until it thickens and turns into a nice glaze. This takes about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Once the salmon has finished smoking, place it on a serving platter. Brush with the glaze. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Nice to be served with rice.

Apple Jalapeño Smoked Ribs

The night before grilling make the BBQ sauce and chill in the refrigerator. BBQ sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You can however make it same day and it will still work.

Ingredients for Apple Jalapeño BBQ sauce:

1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup apple juice
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP molasses
1 TBSP black pepper
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 medium jalapeño finely diced (if you want a more mild sauce remove seeds)

Directions for BBQ Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients (ketchup, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, ground coriander, and diced jalapeño. The spice level is adjustable. If you like it spicy, you can dice the whole jalapeño (seeds and everything). If you like it more mild, remove the seeds and white ribs inside the pepper before dicing.


Ingredients for Ribs:

2 racks baby back ribs
4 TBSP sweet rub (I like using Pit Boss's Tennessee Apple Butter Rub)
1/4 cup yellow mustard
2 cups apple juice
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 medium jalapeños (sliced into rings)
1 cup Apple Jalapeño BBQ sauce (see below)

Directions for Ribs
Begin by removing the membrane on the back of the ribs.

Slather both sides of the ribs with the yellow mustard and season liberally with the sweet rub.

Prepare your smoker for indirect smoking at 225°F. Apple wood is a good one to use for this recipe. Place the seasoned ribs on the smoker and close the lid. Leave them to smoke for 3 hours.

Tear off a large piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and place it on a large working surface. Transfer the ribs to the foil, bone side up so the bones don't tear through the foil. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar, top with the butter cut into small pads. Slowly pour apple juice over the top. Once the liquid has settled, top with the sliced jalapeños.

Tightly crimp the foil together to create an airtight seal. Return to the grill and keep your cooking temperature to as close to 225°F as you can. Let the ribs braise for 2 hours in the foil.

Carefully remove the ribs from the grill and place on a large working surface. Open the foil package (be careful of hot steam). Carefully remove the sliced jalapeños and set aside. Use tongs to remove the ribs from the foil and place them back on the grill, bone side down. Discard the foil and excess cooking liquid.

Brush the ribs with the Apple Jalapeño BBQ Sauce and arrange the jalapeño slices, you set aside, on top of the ribs. Close the lid of your grill and cook at 225°F for an additional hour until the ribs are done to your desired tenderness and the sauce is sticky and set. I like to brush the ribs with additional BBQ sauce after about a half hour.

After removing the ribs from the grill slice into individual ribs and brush with additional BBQ sauce. Any remaining sauce leave out for anyone who wants extra sauce.

Korean Beef Bowls

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 green onions, chopped, divided
4 cups hot cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring and crumbling into small pieces until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain excess grease.
2. Add garlic, ginger, and sesame oil, stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper. Cook until some of the sauce absorbs into the beef, about 7 minutes. Add 1/2 of the chopped green onions.
3. Serve beef over hot cooked rice; garnished with sesame seeds and remaining green onions.

Pulled Pork

This was a new recipe I tried and really liked!

Ingredients:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 (4-5 pound) pork shoulder roast
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 c chicken broth
1/4 c light brown sugar
1 TBS ground mustard
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS chili powder
1 large onion chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper Chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper Chopped
1 Yellow Bell Pepper Chopped
2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
12 hamburger buns

Directions:
Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker; pour in the BBQ sauce, apple cider vinegar, chicken broth, light brown sugar, ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, Red Bell Pepper, Green Bell Pepper, Yellow Bell Pepper, garlic powder, and thyme. Cover and cook on High for 5-6 hours (or on low for 8-9 hours) until the roast shreds easily with a fork.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices.
Spoon pork into the buns (optionally you can butter the buns and toast them before adding the meat).
Enjoy!